1. My parents' house in Ohio is my favorite place to travel to.
2. When I think about my childhood, I often remember the house on Cottonwood with the elementary school smack dab in the middle of our block.
3. Honesty makes for a good friend.
4. The wind in the trees, the rain on my skin, these things make me feel alive.
5. Trying something new is so exciting!
6. My best friend knows more about me than I know about myself, or so it seems.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finishing Megan's Calais, tomorrow my plans include The South East Patriot Guard motorcycle ride and Sunday, I want to you already know this one, I want to swim!
Have a great weekend everyone and remember to tell those you love how much you love them. Just because you can and they need to hear it more often!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Thoughts on Thursday
First, I want to know how this holiday has escaped me all these years. According to this article, there are specials in a shop near you. Check it out and see. You can bet I will be looking for the closest one and getting in on the fun!
As you may recall, I have been in a purging mode. It has been good for the body, mind and soul. Along the way, I have also been looking at all the yarns in my stash that are older than most of my readers. Seriously folks, I have some yarn that was purchased at Lee Wards when it was in the Memorial City Mall around 1984. I have it safely in Rubbermaid Roughtotes and the price tags are still on the skeins. It was a decadent purchase at the time but I know I would never have purchased it today with all the finer quality yarns available in shops and online. My how things have changed.
That set me to thinking about what these precious yarns may want to become. I will admit, many are from companies that are no longer even alive today. I have Unger, Good Shepherd, Nevada and Berger du Nord all carefully preserved. I have been trolling Ravelry and eBay and I have been amazed at what I have been able to find. I will be adding at least one new project to the queue as I finish up an existing one. I have pulled out the old unfinished projects and have divided them into must finish, will finish and must unravel immediately and re-purpose the yarn for another project. I will still be working with new fibers and I will be culling the Ravelry Queue to see if any of the older yarns are suitable matches for these modern patterns. It will be a test of creativity and passion. Just what this clean slate needs.
I have also decided to help Amy with her Warm Up Winchester Project. I realize that there are most likely groups here in Pearland or in Houston that I could help; however, Amy is a dear friend and I feel that my passions to help should be with her to show her the support that she has shown me. I will be making baby items at first, as I can take them any place and with motorcycle trips a big part of my weekends, they will be perfect. I will also attempt hats at some point. In all my years of knitting, I can honestly say that I have never made one, so I should cross this off my list of never done before.
The rain has continued most of today, which in part has added to this sense of needing to get things done. I think my mom would say that I am nesting, only I am not pregnant. That apartment was renovated years ago.... I would say it is part of my zodiac sign wanting to care and nurture. Either way, I feel good about what I plan to accomplish both for myself and for those in need.
Back to your regularly scheduled program.....
As you may recall, I have been in a purging mode. It has been good for the body, mind and soul. Along the way, I have also been looking at all the yarns in my stash that are older than most of my readers. Seriously folks, I have some yarn that was purchased at Lee Wards when it was in the Memorial City Mall around 1984. I have it safely in Rubbermaid Roughtotes and the price tags are still on the skeins. It was a decadent purchase at the time but I know I would never have purchased it today with all the finer quality yarns available in shops and online. My how things have changed.
That set me to thinking about what these precious yarns may want to become. I will admit, many are from companies that are no longer even alive today. I have Unger, Good Shepherd, Nevada and Berger du Nord all carefully preserved. I have been trolling Ravelry and eBay and I have been amazed at what I have been able to find. I will be adding at least one new project to the queue as I finish up an existing one. I have pulled out the old unfinished projects and have divided them into must finish, will finish and must unravel immediately and re-purpose the yarn for another project. I will still be working with new fibers and I will be culling the Ravelry Queue to see if any of the older yarns are suitable matches for these modern patterns. It will be a test of creativity and passion. Just what this clean slate needs.
I have also decided to help Amy with her Warm Up Winchester Project. I realize that there are most likely groups here in Pearland or in Houston that I could help; however, Amy is a dear friend and I feel that my passions to help should be with her to show her the support that she has shown me. I will be making baby items at first, as I can take them any place and with motorcycle trips a big part of my weekends, they will be perfect. I will also attempt hats at some point. In all my years of knitting, I can honestly say that I have never made one, so I should cross this off my list of never done before.
The rain has continued most of today, which in part has added to this sense of needing to get things done. I think my mom would say that I am nesting, only I am not pregnant. That apartment was renovated years ago.... I would say it is part of my zodiac sign wanting to care and nurture. Either way, I feel good about what I plan to accomplish both for myself and for those in need.
Back to your regularly scheduled program.....
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday Temptations
I promised temptations....in reality it will be a combo post of the LYS exploration and temptation.
So, last Thursday I had a few spare minutes and was in the Sugar Land area when I remembered that a new yarn store had opened off US59 at the Williams Trace exit. Having lived in Sugar Land for fourteen years I knew that exit very well and I even knew the building that it should be in within the strip center area. It is a huge retail area with a Home Depot and several other large chains and then there are sprout buildings along the perimeter. They were tucked in the building right behind Jason's Deli.
I arrived around 10:45 AM (they open at 10:00 AM). There was one other customer inside. The store is spacious due to the layout. The siting/knitting area is LARGE! I love the way that they combined slate and wood with contemporary glass fixtures. The yarns are displayed in a manner that makes it easy to access them and the assortment was wonderful. I made a quick pass through the entire store to get my bearings and then started back at the front. There were old favorites and a lot of new surprises. Only one of the owners was in. Jenn was charming and very laid back. She told us stories of living overseas in a climate where you could actually enjoy Aran sweaters and real wool. She also told us about some original hand-knits her mother had made that she recently uncovered and of a cardigan that she still can wear (at home only). She also told us of items that she has made for her grand daughters.
I continued my exploration and I found this yummy yarn. I am supposedly on a yarn diet while I am trying to whittle away my stash. As much as I tried I could not avoid this one. I know my fellow knitters will understand when I say that the feel of the yarn would not let me put it down. Not having a pattern in mind, I only purchased two skeins of color 18 (Coral). Not a color I would normally choose for myself but I couldn't resist. Early yesterday I while trying to open my eyes and drink my first cup of coffee, I found this pattern on Ravelry. So what did I do? Since it was before 7:00 AM CST, I quickly sent Jenn a PM and asked if she still had two more skeins in the color and dye lot I had purchased. I asked her to email, PM or call me. Lo and behold I got a response later that morning telling me that she had put the requested skeins in back and they would be waiting for me to swing by for them. Customer service that rocks!
I will get by there as soon as possible, due to the fact that I have already swatched and will be casting on as soon as I finish Megan's Calais and her BMG's Footies. This will be for me and I want to wear it this summer! I may even plan going when I can sit and knit there for a while. Not that I can't or don't enjoy knitting at home with SF nearby. Some times you just need to be with fellow knitters (or hookers as the case may be).
So, my LYS review and temptation all rolled into one spontaneous trip....
So, last Thursday I had a few spare minutes and was in the Sugar Land area when I remembered that a new yarn store had opened off US59 at the Williams Trace exit. Having lived in Sugar Land for fourteen years I knew that exit very well and I even knew the building that it should be in within the strip center area. It is a huge retail area with a Home Depot and several other large chains and then there are sprout buildings along the perimeter. They were tucked in the building right behind Jason's Deli.
I arrived around 10:45 AM (they open at 10:00 AM). There was one other customer inside. The store is spacious due to the layout. The siting/knitting area is LARGE! I love the way that they combined slate and wood with contemporary glass fixtures. The yarns are displayed in a manner that makes it easy to access them and the assortment was wonderful. I made a quick pass through the entire store to get my bearings and then started back at the front. There were old favorites and a lot of new surprises. Only one of the owners was in. Jenn was charming and very laid back. She told us stories of living overseas in a climate where you could actually enjoy Aran sweaters and real wool. She also told us about some original hand-knits her mother had made that she recently uncovered and of a cardigan that she still can wear (at home only). She also told us of items that she has made for her grand daughters.
I continued my exploration and I found this yummy yarn. I am supposedly on a yarn diet while I am trying to whittle away my stash. As much as I tried I could not avoid this one. I know my fellow knitters will understand when I say that the feel of the yarn would not let me put it down. Not having a pattern in mind, I only purchased two skeins of color 18 (Coral). Not a color I would normally choose for myself but I couldn't resist. Early yesterday I while trying to open my eyes and drink my first cup of coffee, I found this pattern on Ravelry. So what did I do? Since it was before 7:00 AM CST, I quickly sent Jenn a PM and asked if she still had two more skeins in the color and dye lot I had purchased. I asked her to email, PM or call me. Lo and behold I got a response later that morning telling me that she had put the requested skeins in back and they would be waiting for me to swing by for them. Customer service that rocks!
I will get by there as soon as possible, due to the fact that I have already swatched and will be casting on as soon as I finish Megan's Calais and her BMG's Footies. This will be for me and I want to wear it this summer! I may even plan going when I can sit and knit there for a while. Not that I can't or don't enjoy knitting at home with SF nearby. Some times you just need to be with fellow knitters (or hookers as the case may be).
So, my LYS review and temptation all rolled into one spontaneous trip....
Swim Suits....
So, after the Great Slim Down I realized that the large size swim suits I owned no longer fit and made me look like a twig in a gunny sack (my mother's favorite saving). My goal had been to get myself into a bikini, like this one. I probably still could but I don't feel quite toned up enough for all of that middle area to be exposed to sun and the public just yet....maybe by the end of the summer.
After a discussion with SF, she agreed that while I could "make do" with the suits that were two sizes to big, I would be unable to entertain guests in them or go to any pool parties in them. Her suggestion. "Let's head to Macy's for the Memorial Day Sale." We did and I was quite upset at first. It seems that the store had arranged the swimsuit area to showcase the itsy bitsy suits and had the ones with more fabric a little tucked away. SF had her eyes on a rack (focus - rack of suits.....nothing else). I wandered over and she asked me what I thought of a tankini.
That set me to try and answer her in a quick and concise manner. I had avoided them in the past because I didn't care for the tops. Many of them were designed for girls/ladies with firmer tops and middles and I didn't feel that they had enough support or tummy control. She understood but pointed out that the ones she was looking at seemed to be made for more adult figures and I should possibly just try on a few. Not having any valid reason to counter with I agreed. I knew that I wanted something brown (makes my tan look better...or so I like to think). We quickly selected the bottoms in brown and grabbed the three tops I liked the best. I was quite pleased with all three tops; however, one was the most flattering.
I came home with this one. The exact version as seen in the Dillard's on-line store. For whatever reason, Macy's does not have this version on-line. It still does not have the tummy control I would have really liked but I can live with that. It is more about the fact that I like what I see even without the tummy control and without the normal underwire I usually demand. With SF under the weather most of the long weekend I was only in it for two hours on Sunday and three on Monday. It is comfortable and I don't feel as self-conscious as I thought that I would. I'm even considering going back to Macy's to see if there are any more tops that I would consider wearing and getting a second suit. I may have to go to the Memorial City Mall location of the Sugar Land location, as they are larger stores and might possibly have a bigger selection to choose from. I saw this version at the Dillard's on-line store and would love it if Macy's happened to carry it as well.
Either way...I'll keep you posted. Who knows, I may even work myself into that bikini if my self-esteem issues will get the hell out of the way....
After a discussion with SF, she agreed that while I could "make do" with the suits that were two sizes to big, I would be unable to entertain guests in them or go to any pool parties in them. Her suggestion. "Let's head to Macy's for the Memorial Day Sale." We did and I was quite upset at first. It seems that the store had arranged the swimsuit area to showcase the itsy bitsy suits and had the ones with more fabric a little tucked away. SF had her eyes on a rack (focus - rack of suits.....nothing else). I wandered over and she asked me what I thought of a tankini.
That set me to try and answer her in a quick and concise manner. I had avoided them in the past because I didn't care for the tops. Many of them were designed for girls/ladies with firmer tops and middles and I didn't feel that they had enough support or tummy control. She understood but pointed out that the ones she was looking at seemed to be made for more adult figures and I should possibly just try on a few. Not having any valid reason to counter with I agreed. I knew that I wanted something brown (makes my tan look better...or so I like to think). We quickly selected the bottoms in brown and grabbed the three tops I liked the best. I was quite pleased with all three tops; however, one was the most flattering.
I came home with this one. The exact version as seen in the Dillard's on-line store. For whatever reason, Macy's does not have this version on-line. It still does not have the tummy control I would have really liked but I can live with that. It is more about the fact that I like what I see even without the tummy control and without the normal underwire I usually demand. With SF under the weather most of the long weekend I was only in it for two hours on Sunday and three on Monday. It is comfortable and I don't feel as self-conscious as I thought that I would. I'm even considering going back to Macy's to see if there are any more tops that I would consider wearing and getting a second suit. I may have to go to the Memorial City Mall location of the Sugar Land location, as they are larger stores and might possibly have a bigger selection to choose from. I saw this version at the Dillard's on-line store and would love it if Macy's happened to carry it as well.
Either way...I'll keep you posted. Who knows, I may even work myself into that bikini if my self-esteem issues will get the hell out of the way....
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Thankfully, I was not meant to become a nurse or Florence Nightengail's clone....yes really!
First, I will warn you that this is a rant or sorts and I apologize in advance to any of my readers, stealth or otherwise, that smoke. You will get no lectures from me, as you are all keenly aware of what this does to your health and do not need me to nag at you in spite of yourselves.
All that out of the way, I shall begin! Months ago SF went to an allergist, as she was having issues that she could just not shake. She had been afflicted by sniffles and a runny nose for over two months and nothing was helping. She wasn't sleeping and that meant neither was I. Two grumpy females under one roof is not a good thing, trust me on this. Turns out, after all the tests, that she is HIGHLY allergic to two main things. Thing one is cigarette smoke. Thing two is cat dander.
Things two is a bit of an issue given the fact that I have two INDOOR cats. We discussed our options and both agreed that NO pets should sleep in the bedroom. We relocated the cats' beds to the front study and the dogs' bed to the living room. After I cleaned the house from top to bottom (dusted, vacuumed, steam mopped and cleaned the wood floors) and the new meds kicked in, she was all better within an additional two weeks. Things had been going just fine until this past Thursday.
SF had Thursday off (to much to explain regarding how her work schedule and holidays are taken) and while I was gone, she spent the better part of the day in the front room on both of the laptops (work and personal). Neither of us thought much about it until Friday morning when she woke up with the start of sniffles. After breakfast we realized that the cat room had not been cleaned as of yet, so she had spent the day with not only the cats' dander but all the dust and stuff deposited there for a week. She got on the meds pronto. By the end of the day she was sounding and feeling MUCH better. I thought we were in the clear. There will be a post about the LYS visit and Friday later today.
Wrong, try again. Saturday we got up early (6:15 AM CST) to eat and get ready for our first MVP motorcycle ride. There will be a post about that later today. We ate, showered, dressed and went outside to wipe down and polish up the Blue Flame before we rode off into the morning heat. Pearland/Houston was already almost in the 80's by the time we pulled out of the driveway at 8:15 AM CST. And we do not ride the bike unless we have on blue jeans, proper riding boots, tee-shirts (NO TANK TOPS) and helmets. Not really outfits that allow you to remain cool. SF was feeling and sounding great when we left, so I was comfortable in feeling that we had dodged a bullet.
The ride itself was wonderful. The group was a very diverse assortment of people and we were very well accepted into the "gang". We arrived at the destination (Biker Bar) after about a two hour ride. We had already checked out the location on the Internet, so we knew what we wanted to eat and ordered food and beers. No lectures about adult beverages and motorcycles. We always have one beer each and water the rest of the time. And we are usually at the establishment for two hours eating and chatting.
The one fact that we did not know ahead of time was that the bar allowed smoking indoors due to the lovely Texas laws about a bar being the sole reason the place exists. Serving food was a secondary feature, thus it was legal to smoke inside. Both of us had forgotten how you smell after being in a room filled with smokers. We reeked of it. It was in our hair and our clothes. When we got home, we showered again to get it off of our bodies and hair. It was not enough. Apparently she was still compromised from the cat hair on Thursday. By 6:00 PM CST Saturday evening she couldn't breath out of her nose and her throat was so sore. She sounded as if she had been cheering all day and had lost her voice. I felt awful about all of it.
I wish that there was a way that I could appeal to all the law makers in our state and urge them to stop smoking in all public establishments. I am not allergic to it myself; however, I resent the fact that I am held hostage by the few that still do smoke because the manufactures of these dreadful products pay off their PAC members and donate GENEROUSLY to campaigns. Thus making certain that they will be able to support the money machine on their platform. It just plain SUCKS! Not to mention the fact that I lost my grandfather (my mom's father) to emphysema and my father had two collapsed lungs (one from pipe tobacco and the second from Marlboro Reds). It is a cruel thing that these things do to a body and I will not be in a relationship with anyone that smokes. PERIOD! It is too painful to watch what happens.
This now relates as to why I could never be a nurse. I make an excellent mom, at least I like to think so myself, so I was able to convince her to rest and let me wait on her. She is a proud one and is very head-strong. I love and hate that at times. However, I knew she didn't feel good when she offered no resistance and allowed me to wait on her and make her comfortable. Even though that meant giving up on some of the activities that I had hoped we could do together over a four-day weekend. I knew I was not cut out to be a nurse when she asked me what the color of her snot meant and she showed me. EEEEEWWWWW. I hated that as a parent and I hate it even more as a wife. I did remember enough from the kids being small to know that it meant an infection was present.
We called the doctor's answering service to make certain that there were no special instructions. We got the call back and he had none. We got and kept her medicated, indoors but not under direct air currents (no ceiling fans) and hydrated. Thankfully there was enough on Direct TV to keep her occupied. I did manage to knit in between waiting on her and doing some light household chores.
Okay, enough of the rant. I have three other posts that will appear today as well. One will be about the ride and the Biker Bar. Another will be about the new LYS. And the last one will be Temptations.....
All that out of the way, I shall begin! Months ago SF went to an allergist, as she was having issues that she could just not shake. She had been afflicted by sniffles and a runny nose for over two months and nothing was helping. She wasn't sleeping and that meant neither was I. Two grumpy females under one roof is not a good thing, trust me on this. Turns out, after all the tests, that she is HIGHLY allergic to two main things. Thing one is cigarette smoke. Thing two is cat dander.
Things two is a bit of an issue given the fact that I have two INDOOR cats. We discussed our options and both agreed that NO pets should sleep in the bedroom. We relocated the cats' beds to the front study and the dogs' bed to the living room. After I cleaned the house from top to bottom (dusted, vacuumed, steam mopped and cleaned the wood floors) and the new meds kicked in, she was all better within an additional two weeks. Things had been going just fine until this past Thursday.
SF had Thursday off (to much to explain regarding how her work schedule and holidays are taken) and while I was gone, she spent the better part of the day in the front room on both of the laptops (work and personal). Neither of us thought much about it until Friday morning when she woke up with the start of sniffles. After breakfast we realized that the cat room had not been cleaned as of yet, so she had spent the day with not only the cats' dander but all the dust and stuff deposited there for a week. She got on the meds pronto. By the end of the day she was sounding and feeling MUCH better. I thought we were in the clear. There will be a post about the LYS visit and Friday later today.
Wrong, try again. Saturday we got up early (6:15 AM CST) to eat and get ready for our first MVP motorcycle ride. There will be a post about that later today. We ate, showered, dressed and went outside to wipe down and polish up the Blue Flame before we rode off into the morning heat. Pearland/Houston was already almost in the 80's by the time we pulled out of the driveway at 8:15 AM CST. And we do not ride the bike unless we have on blue jeans, proper riding boots, tee-shirts (NO TANK TOPS) and helmets. Not really outfits that allow you to remain cool. SF was feeling and sounding great when we left, so I was comfortable in feeling that we had dodged a bullet.
The ride itself was wonderful. The group was a very diverse assortment of people and we were very well accepted into the "gang". We arrived at the destination (Biker Bar) after about a two hour ride. We had already checked out the location on the Internet, so we knew what we wanted to eat and ordered food and beers. No lectures about adult beverages and motorcycles. We always have one beer each and water the rest of the time. And we are usually at the establishment for two hours eating and chatting.
The one fact that we did not know ahead of time was that the bar allowed smoking indoors due to the lovely Texas laws about a bar being the sole reason the place exists. Serving food was a secondary feature, thus it was legal to smoke inside. Both of us had forgotten how you smell after being in a room filled with smokers. We reeked of it. It was in our hair and our clothes. When we got home, we showered again to get it off of our bodies and hair. It was not enough. Apparently she was still compromised from the cat hair on Thursday. By 6:00 PM CST Saturday evening she couldn't breath out of her nose and her throat was so sore. She sounded as if she had been cheering all day and had lost her voice. I felt awful about all of it.
I wish that there was a way that I could appeal to all the law makers in our state and urge them to stop smoking in all public establishments. I am not allergic to it myself; however, I resent the fact that I am held hostage by the few that still do smoke because the manufactures of these dreadful products pay off their PAC members and donate GENEROUSLY to campaigns. Thus making certain that they will be able to support the money machine on their platform. It just plain SUCKS! Not to mention the fact that I lost my grandfather (my mom's father) to emphysema and my father had two collapsed lungs (one from pipe tobacco and the second from Marlboro Reds). It is a cruel thing that these things do to a body and I will not be in a relationship with anyone that smokes. PERIOD! It is too painful to watch what happens.
This now relates as to why I could never be a nurse. I make an excellent mom, at least I like to think so myself, so I was able to convince her to rest and let me wait on her. She is a proud one and is very head-strong. I love and hate that at times. However, I knew she didn't feel good when she offered no resistance and allowed me to wait on her and make her comfortable. Even though that meant giving up on some of the activities that I had hoped we could do together over a four-day weekend. I knew I was not cut out to be a nurse when she asked me what the color of her snot meant and she showed me. EEEEEWWWWW. I hated that as a parent and I hate it even more as a wife. I did remember enough from the kids being small to know that it meant an infection was present.
We called the doctor's answering service to make certain that there were no special instructions. We got the call back and he had none. We got and kept her medicated, indoors but not under direct air currents (no ceiling fans) and hydrated. Thankfully there was enough on Direct TV to keep her occupied. I did manage to knit in between waiting on her and doing some light household chores.
Okay, enough of the rant. I have three other posts that will appear today as well. One will be about the ride and the Biker Bar. Another will be about the new LYS. And the last one will be Temptations.....
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